TFF Probes Osayi-Samuel, Others’ Bust-up With Fans

Nigerian international Bright Osayi-Samuel is one of three Fenerbahce players who will appear at a disciplinary hearing of the Turkish Football Federation following a bust-up with Trabzonspor fans, the TFF announced on Monday.

Home supporters invaded the pitch at Trabzonspor’s stadium after the final whistle of the Super Lig match on March 17 that Fenerbahce won 3-2.

The attacks took place after the Fenerbahce players and coaching staff celebrated their victory, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic being punched in the face.

Osayi-Samuel, 26, punched one of the supporters who ran onto the pitch with his face masked, with Dutch defender Jayden Oosterwolde accused of kicking the same supporter.A third player will also appear before the disciplinary body along with two club employees for “fighting”, the TFF said.

A Trabzonspor assistant coach will also appear before the disciplinary board.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the violence as “absolutely unacceptable”.

Thirteen Trabzonspor supporters were arrested with five placed in pre-trial detention.

It was the latest violent incident to affect Turkish football this season.

The championship was suspended for a week earlier this term when the president of Ankaragucu attacked a referee at the end of a first division match.

A number of Fenerbahce trips to Trabzon in recent times have also been marred by violence.

A 2016 game against Trabzonspor was abandoned in the closing minutes after an assistant referee was attacked by a home supporter.

The year before that the Fenerbahce team bus came under attack from a gunman en route to the airport on the way back from the neighbouring Black Sea city of Rize, leaving the driver seriously injured.

In 2014 a match between Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce was called off at halftime after the Istanbul club’s players were pelted with objects thrown onto the pitch by home fans.

Trabzonspor, who won the Turkish title two years ago, also found themselves in the spotlight in 2015 when the club president locked the referee and his assistants inside the stadium overnight in protest at the decision not to award his team a penalty.

They were eventually released in the early hours of the following morning after a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.